How to use Kraken Desktop
Kraken Desktop is a free trading terminal packed with state-of-the-art features and a robust suite of tools for detailed market analysis, advanced charting, and order execution.
To use Kraken Desktop, first you need to create a Kraken account. If you already have one, you may install Kraken Desktop and begin right away!
Check eligibility for a Kraken account here.
The Kraken Desktop interface can be customized to your personal perfection. A “Board” is the main interface, the entire screen, where modules can be positioned in any location, and sized to your liking in order to fill the board.
Multiple boards can be opened simultaneously, allowing you to interact with several of them at once, and create multi-monitor setups. To accomplish this, click the Board Management button in the top right corner. Then, click the external link button located on the right side of each board.
Within a board, modules can be dragged to different locations by holding the top of the module, and moving it to your desired location. To resize the module, simply drag any of the 4 sides to your preferred sizing.
You may also “split” modules to add new modules within the same amount of space as the original. For example, let’s split a module into five modules:
- 1
At the top of the module you wish to split, click Split module.
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Next, let’s select 1x5.
This will turn our one large module into five smaller modules that take up the same amount of space.
Note: By holding CMD or CTRL, the new modules created will be clones of the existing module.
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The module has now been split into five individual modules, click Configure to select each new module.
Before:
After:
Loading saved boards
Kraken Desktop allows you to save up to 100 custom boards. You may manage your saved boards by clicking the Board Management button on the top right of the screen. The Board Management button will always show the current Board you are using. In the example above, you can see we are using the “Sample Board”.
Kraken Desktop boards can fit up to 48 modules at once, and gives you the ability to configure each module with different markets, settings, sounds, and more.
Module information
Module information | Description |
|---|---|
Balances | The Balances module provides a real-time overview of your current account balances. It helps you monitor your assets efficiently to manage your portfolio and trading activities effectively. |
Chart | The Chart module offers advanced interactive charting tools that display historical price data and market trends. Traders can use this module to conduct detailed technical analysis by adding various indicators such as moving averages, RSI, and Bollinger Bands to the charts. This functionality allows for a deep dive into price movements, helping traders make more informed decisions. |
Clock | The Clock module displays the current time in any time zone of your choosing. (Default is local time) You may select from a digital clock, analog clock, or both. |
Depth Chart | The Depth Chart module visualizes the order book, showing the number of buy and sell orders at different price levels. |
Ladder | The Ladder module allows for rapid execution of trades by displaying prices in a vertical sequence, enabling one-click trading at different levels. Up to 4 shortcuts can be created and customized for lightning fast order submissions. |
Margin health | The Ladder module allows for rapid execution of trades by displaying prices in a vertical sequence, enabling one-click trading at different levels. Up to 4 shortcuts can be created and customized for lightning fast order submissions. |
Order Book | The Order Book module lists all current buy and sell orders for the selected market. It helps you gauge market sentiment and liquidity by showing how many orders are active at different price points. The Order Book is also useful for filling in the Order Ticket module. You may click a price level displayed in the Order Book, and that price will automatically fill within your Order Ticket module. Note: In order for automatic filling to work, your Order Ticket module must be in |
Order Ticket | The Order Ticket module is where you can quickly enter and execute buy or sell orders. It provides options for setting order type, quantity, and price, allowing for precise control over your trading. |
Spread Chart | The Spread Chart module illustrates the price differences between the Base Currency and Quote Currency of a selected market. |
Summary | The Summary module offers a concise overview of key trading information for selected markets. It displays recent price changes, volume statistics, and a 24-hour performance snapshot. This module provides essential data at a glance. |
Text | The Text module allows you to add text boxes to your trading interface. This can be used to note strategies, reminders, or important dates directly on your screen. |
Ticker | The Ticker module continuously updates and displays the latest trading price, 24 hour change, and the current spreads of a particular market. |
Time & Sales | The Time & Sales module shows a real-time list of executed trades, providing details about the time, price, and size of each trade. |
Trade Activity | The Trade Activity module is a comprehensive tool that logs and displays all your trading actions on Kraken. This module organizes information into columns such as the market, side (buy/sell), order type, time, quantity, and much more. You can use the Trade Activity module to see your open positions, open orders, recent trades, and logs of your trading activity. |
Watchlist | The Watchlist module allows you to create personalized lists of markets to monitor. To add a market to your watchlist, add the Watchlist module, then click the settings button in the top right corner. You may then search for markets to add under the Add Market section. |
After clicking the Board Management button, you will see the option to Create a new Board, or you can view your list of saved Boards. You may also drag & drop them to be in any order you wish.
The pencil icon above your saved Boards will present you with the options to rename, clone, or delete a Board.
At the top of every module on your Board, you will see a toolbar that allows you to edit or remove the module. Each module will have different buttons in this toolbar depending on the selected module type. Let’s go over the most common buttons below:
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Settings (Green): Here is where you’ll find the majority of your module settings. These settings configure the way your module may display information, which units to use, and much more. Each module’s settings are tailored to provide maximum customization for that particular module type.
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Mute Volume (Orange): Clicking this will mute any sounds produced by the module.
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Split module (Yellow): Allows you to split the module into more modules that take up the same amount of space.
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Screenshot (Blue): The screenshot button takes a screenshot of the individual module. You will be shown a preview of the screenshot, and can then download the image as a PNG, TIFF, or BMP file.
Tip: The screenshot button on the top right of the application takes a screenshot of your whole board!
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Maximize (Pink): Clicking this button will maximize the module to be fullscreen. Clicking “Restore” while maximized will return it to its original size within the Board.
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Close (White): This button will remove the module from the board, and the space will be consumed by neighboring modules.
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Hotkeys (Not pictured above): The Hotkeys button allows you to set up custom hotkeys and keymaps that your module will listen to. These Hotkeys/Keymaps are meant to provide fast and convenient executions of several actions, such as trading, adjusting views, undoing edits, and more.
Kraken Desktop comes out of the box with several beautiful themes that are just a click away. You may also create your own theme to make your Kraken Desktop experience pixel perfect.
To view the theme settings, click the Theme Management button located on the top-right corner of your screen.
This will open a sidebar where you are able to do the following:
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Edit, save, and share your current theme:
The pencil icon allows you to rename and adjust the colors of the current theme. After saving your changes, this theme will appear in a list under the Custom Themes section.
The trash can icon will delete your current theme.
The export button allows you to copy a public link to your theme to share it with others to try.
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Select one of many preset themes that are always available, and cannot be deleted.
